As an accountant I am painfully aware that people are spending more money than they are earning, and they are unnecessarily adopting a mindset that debt is a normal part of life.  Like losing weight, reducing debt is simple, spend less than you earn, but sometimes you simply do not know where to start. You are rarely going to get style advice from me …but here is my recommended must buy for all women in business; this $12 K-Mart earring set. For twelve dollars you get six different sets of simple classy earrings; including faux pearls, faux diamonds, and rustic roses. This is enough variety for an entire year of business dressing. Of course you can buy a set of pearl earrings from Tiffany & Co. for $205. Or you can buy this K-Mart set and no-one other than you will know the difference.

How do you feel about that?

I am always excited to find a bargain. I also get great pleasure from window shopping, but that is another story! But I know people who cannot afford it, yet still feel compelled to buy the real deal. The Tiffany earrings are not simply $193 more expensive than the K-Mart earrings. Worst case scenario, at the highest tax rate, you would need to earn $373 before tax to purchase the Tiffany pearls ($205/55*100). WOW!

When money is tight, I think you need to learn to take pleasure in how you look, not how much you spent on your look. I have an Indian friend with seriously expensive jewellery, and do you know when she wears it? Hardly ever! It is locked up in a safe at the bank. Instead she adorns herself with identical replica jewellery. She tells me this is commonplace in her community. If you do make the leap to the “cheap” side, don’t feel guilty. If someone complements you on the earrings, don’t feel compelled to tell them, simply receive it graciously. You don’t tell people that you dye your hair, shave your legs, or use deodorant do you? You don’t need to tell them about buying cheap either!

So how good are the cheap K-Mart earrings? I have had this set now for nearly 6 month, I have super sensitive skin, and most earrings normally cause me great irritation, but I have never had a problem with any of these earrings. They look nice on, and they have not flecked or tarnished, and I have not lost one yet! If expensive jewellery makes you feel good about yourself, then treat yourself when you deserve it. But if you opt for the K-Mart earrings allow yourself to feel good about looking stylish and saving money. Times are tough; learn to be happy that you have not paid ridiculous amounts of money for tiny little earrings.

Personally I would love to experience the joy a cyan blue box would bring me, but I would be so freaked about losing one of the earrings I would get minimal joy from actually wearing the earrings. If I lost one of the K-Marts sets, well I could buy another 15 more for the outlay I would make at Tiffany & Co.

If you do make the leap should let you know that I recieve no kick-back from Kmart though my first job was at K-Mart in the toy section during Christmas. I also own very little jewellery and fantasize about dressing like Audrey Hepburn and owning Tiffany & Co. diamond ring. But unless I had silly money lying around, I am happy to wear good quality costume faux jewellery.